Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish on your iPhone - iPod

Bueno, entonces... class 1 covered the areas of greeting someone, introducing oneself, nationalities, the alphabet, basics for learning verbs, masculine/feminine, and a million other things in between. I know, it sounds like a bit much for a first lesson, but I think it works because I genuinely became immersed in the program. Verbs, nouns, fem/masc endings, etc., are all color-coded, and there are arrows that help one remember that the verb is in past/future tense. There is also a little Argentine flag that pops up when the word or term is unique to Argentina. My eyes and ears and kept busy the entire time, and the dialogue between Jimena and David is often interrupted by the little profe guy teaching us something new, so my brain has to keep changing gears and I never zone out.
Read the whole review about this class here!

I just found this to buy Bueno, entonces... Class 1 on the iTunes App Store, check it out:

Best iPhone apps at AppStoreHQ

Lesson Thirty: QUÉ?!

Here we are, my friends; last day. I felt like I’ve learned a ton of Spanish. Honestly, going into this I thought I’d have a few laughs and enjoy the story, but I didn’t expect to learn much new information.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I now know much more history about Argentina, lots of specifics about customs, and tons of vocabulary that I have never picked up in the months that I have been living here. Bueno, entonces...you are very close to my heart. Or should I say…were close to my heart?

Okay, spoiler alert. Do not read further if you haven’t finished the Bueno, entonces...series.

First of all, Bueno, entonces...production, I am not sure how much I love you anymore, after seeing Episode #30. I mean, talk about leaving us hanging. Cruel!

Second of all, you need to finish level two. At least with True Blood, I know that it will start up again in two months. This whole open-ended thing is downright malicious.



Okay, so this is how Episode #30 goes down, más o menos. Today is David’s repaso, and the Bueno, entonces...crew is at her house partying while David talks to his family on the computer. He is also waiting for Mariana to arrive. Well, she was supposed to arrive over 40 minutes ago, but she hasn’t gotten there yet. David thinks that she stood him up.

Jimena knows, however, that Argentine girls make the guys wait—about forty minutes to an hour. While David is doing something, Caroline comes into the room, and they discuss the fact that basically Jimena has 10 minutes to invite David to dinner—like, on a date—before Mariana gets there.

WHAT?! Okay, not to get all Gossip Girl on you, but…this is pretty massive. After eating, breathing, and sleeping David and Jimena for the past month, them getting together would be colossal.

The suspense kills you. Jimena is being so painfully passive “Bueno, si, tengo ganas de salir. Que vas a hacer, David? Quizás voy a salir, talvez encontrarme con un amigo…” blah blah blah, woman, get to the point!

Finally, she and David decide to go out and meet one another for dinner—at this point, Jimena is quite anxious, as time is running out. We even get to hear her speak (and swear) in English. It is fabulous!


So, they are about to hang up and meet one another….and the doorbell rings.

…

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo. That is what we are left with.

Is there a pre-order for level two?

Lesson Twenty: Hola Mano, Chau Chica

Oh, Lord. What an episode that was.

We start out with David asking Jimena for her apartment so he can have sex with his hot neighbor, Mariana.

And that’s just the start of it.

Jimena's response to David's ridiculous request? Ni en pedo. De ninguna manera. She doesn’t want him to have relaciones (sex, in Spanish) in her apartment. No, no, says David. No quiero tener relaciones, quiero tener sexo, he says.

....

Okay, so generally when I watch Bueno, entonces..., I keep Word open and take down notes as the episode goes along. This Bueno, entonces... installment, however, was just too much—I couldn’t even pause to write down the general themes. I had to watch it multiple times to figure out how exactly I would be able to write this entry in a somewhat eloquent and cohesive manner.

I'd say I'm failing.

Okay, seriously though, we're learning something...I swear. We learn how to ask to borrow (pedir prestado), how to say you will lend something to someone (te presto), the ser/estar conundrum, and the difference between por/para (which is a work in progress--you kinda learn as you go).

Poooor ejemplo:

Te pido prestado tu departamento para tener relaciones con Mariana.

o

Pido tu departamento por una noche solamente.

Useful, no?

Okay, time for the content/storyline analysis. The content in this episode of Bueno, entonces... was honestly much more interesting than the vocab. I learned all about telos--places where couples go to, er, tener relaciones. I had always thought these were kinda gross. I mean, imagine how many people ya tuvieron relaciones in these beds? According to Jimena, though, telos are completely normal in Argentina. I suppose this makes sense, as people live with their parents for a much longer period of time and there is little privacy inside of the home.

Jimena also informs David that telos are places that couples of all ages go--to variar las cosas, or spice things up. So, what is inside of a telo? According to Jimena, the nicer ones have jacuzzis, circular beds, water beds, mirrors, televisions, etc.

"Televisions?" asks David, "Para mirar que? Un partido de fútbul? Una pelicula de Schwarznegger?"

"No," says Jimena. "Para ver una película pornográfica."

David, of course, is stunned/excited. English girls would never allow this to happen. And, David always thought Argentines were muy conservadoras.

"Bueno, ya ves que no tanto," says Jimena.

I think David just fell more in love with Argentina.

Lesson Eight: La amás o la odiás

David basically learns how to be a good Argentine in lesson eight. He is really, really excited to finally try maté, which is the tea-like beverage that they drink here in Argentina. We learn that maté is a symbol of communication—people drink maté in a group and pass the drink around from one person to the next. There is one individual who is the dedicated "pourer" and pours the water into the maté, and this is called cebar. Normally, the verb for “serve” is servir, but because the server is actually really the pourer, we use cebar.

Of course, David asks the inevitable question of whether or not Argentines are afraid of germs when they are all sharing the same straw. Jimena assures him that no, of course they don’t care. It is part of sharing maté.

David then tries it. Cue expletives. Not a huge fan, but as they say, la amás o la odiás. He'll get used to it, though. I remember having my first maté and hating it. It really does taste like grass. After awhile, though, you realize that it is a social thing. In a circle of Argentine friends, I would never say no to sharing a maté. I have discovered that some of my best conversations have been over sharing a few matés, and if that means I have to get used to drinking grasswater, so be it.

After learning about maté, we then go on to learn about adjectives (using the endings –oso, -ura, -ado, and -ido) and then more food vocab. The best part was in the end where we learn how to order without making an ass out of ourselves. What I have found with mozos (or anyone here, really) is that when they see a gringo face, it's like their ears completely stop working. You can be so close to being correct, but if the mozo looks at you like you're a tool, then you get nervous, and end up saying something like, "Want. Meat. Juicy. Potatos." With Bueno, entonces... , however, we learn exactly what to say and how to say it. A pretty novel concept, I know, to be able know how to say what you want to say. One would be surprised, though. In Argentina, I've said and not said things that I had no intention of saying or not saying. Without knowing I said what I didn't even know I didn't want to say. Es un quilombo.

Lesson Seven: Jorge Chan!

David is frustrated. He comes to class a little depressed today—he really, really wants to tell Jimena about what happened to him last night, but he doesn’t know how to conjugate verbs into the past tense. Jimena reminds him that he has only been learning Spanish for a week now, and that it is a bit early to start on past tense, but that if he puts it into context, people will understand. Yet another reason why Jimena is a great teacher--no one learns Spanish overnight, and if we take on too much at once, we beat ourselves up for making mistakes. Jimena obviously understands this and knows that the best way to learn Spanish is by mastering each level before moving on. Aw shucks, Jimena, you're the best darndest Spanish teacher ever.

Anyway, David tries this context thing. He had a terrible night. He had a date with the Latin woman in Lycra, and they went to dinner together. David asks the waiter for food, but his Spanish is really terrible. Another guy comes up to the table (Jorge) and starts making fun of him. Chan! Then, apparently those two (Lycra and Jorge) have dinner AND go to a hotel, leaving our poor David all alone. Chan!

I think David is kind of a bullshitter, and that probably didn’t happen, but I am stoked that I learned a term that I had never heard before. Chan! When something is surprising, people say Chan! I was telling my dad about Chan! this morning during our walk through Palermo parks, and he hadn’t heard of it either. Chan! I attempted to do the cool sound effect that accompanies Chan! in the lesson, but mine sounded pretty awful. I don’t have a clip of it to share here, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. Chan!

The clip I do have is of AWESOME, AWESOME REFLEXIVE VERBS. Mmm negative. At least David is as confused as I am. Check it out—I laugh myself. I wet myself. I become a river.

Valientes: Because it is Scientifically Proven that Beautiful People Help us Learn Language

Alright, maybe its not scientifically proven that it helps, but it sure makes it a lot more fun! Above are the three brothers on the show, Valientes. If you are in Argentina, check it out. It is pretty ridiculous, but Luciano Castro and Gonzalo Heredia make it all worthwhile. Leo, sos mi vida!

Lesson Six: Seis mas Sexo

Today on Bueno, entonces... we find out that on weekends, Jimena calls David to repasar what they learned this week. Jimena seemed a bit PMS-y at first, but we soon find that it was just the vino from the night before; well, that and the fact that David seems to cross the line of student/teacher appropriate behavior much more often on the weekend.

We first venture into reflexive verbs, as David needs to express that he has to shave, because he is going to cena with the girl in the Lycra suit from the gym. Oh David, you're all class. All class.

This whole lesson made me remember just how much I hate reflexive verbs. While we have our little professor man explain it to us quite well, it just...pisses me off. There are so many times where I say phrases and completely turn into a blundering idiot, saying "Te vas a bañar...te? se? Er...vas a ir a lavar...se? Sh*t!" I can't say anything that has to do with hygiene: brushing your teeth, shaving, taking a shower. You could be the dirtiest person in the world and hang out with me, because I wouldn't complain. I wouldn't know what the hell to say. My roommate always laughs because he doesn't get why anyone would have trouble with these verbs--you just need to use them when something affects you or falls on you or involves you.

Yeah, 'cause that makes TOTAL sense...not. I'd take subjuntivo over this crap any day.

Okay, the lesson goes on (thank God!) and we learn about numbers (regular and ordinals--hence the title) and then family members. We also find out that David's mom is a gynecologist, or a ginécologo. Now, go to this site, Forvo, to check out the pronunciation. Try saying that one 10 times fast!

Oh yeah, David's mom has been staying with him for quite some time now, and I forgot to mention it earlier. He generally complains that she criticizes him about the way he lives, dresses, etc. Typical mom stuff, but David is pretty funny about it. Apparently, she shops during the day and dances tango and looks for her own personal Antonio Banderas by night. Based on her habits, I think she and I would get along fabulously. David's mom has got it goin' on.

Annnnd on that note, I am out! Nos vemos mañana!

Lesson Four: Mi Mama es Rompepelotas

Lesson #4 was my favorite Spanish lesson so far. To be honest, a lot of the time I skip through the grammar section of the lesson, partly because of my self-diagnosed ADD and partly because I’ve studied an obscene amount of Spanish grammar and it makes me sick to my stomach. Lesson #4, however, kept my attention from the beginning to the end.

During this lesson, David learns all about slang, or lunfardo. He learns that how to say someone is a ball buster, the proper usage of boludo, and how to say boobs and breasts (lolas and tetas, in case you were wondering). What more does a guy need to know? My dad and I sat and watched the episode together and we laughed hysterically...most of the time. Unfortunately, I can now say for certain that sexual content still gets me red in the face when in the presence of my parents. Jimena gave David a little lesson in rolling his r’s and well, watch below.




Yep, definitely blushed during that part.

(Check out the Bueno, entonces...Youtube page here)

Lesson Three: No Hay Monedas

(photo courtesy of: Buenos Aires Photographer)

In this lesson, David begins by asking Jimena why she didn’t answer her phone the previous night. Now, we’re not sure if Jimena is fibbing when she says she didn’t receive the call (I know never to trust Argentine cell phones) but I felt David’s pain when he told her how he was unable to understand the phone number of his latest Latin lover. I can’t tell you how many times I have been in a club or bar and attempted to take down a number, and have gotten it completely lost in translation. David is quick to recover, though, and there is no doubt in my mind that he will go out and try it all over again.

We also learn about retornables, a concept that I failed to notice on my first trip to Buenos Aires. You pay an extra deposit on your beer, keep the bottle, and you get it back when you go to the same store and buy more beer. Fabulous! David did, however, pay way too much for his beer and did the unthinkable: convert it back into his currency.

Oh, David. You aren’t in your country anymore. Think in pesos, not in pounds! I’ve met lots of travelers that have stayed in BA for a long period of time, and their #1 regret was paying way too much at the beginning of their trip. As we see with David here, it is quite easy to pay too much in pesos when converting everything back to US dollars, Euros, pounds, etc.

If one is coming to BA for a short period of time and money is no object, whatever you do is up to you, I s’pose. I guess one sort of goes a little cost crazy when they are earning pesos (such as yours truly) and will do the unthinkable in order to save a peso and collect/hoard monedas.
Ah, monedas. When one comes to Buenos Aires, one will find that cambio is impossible to make. Try bringing a $100 AR note into just about anywhere, and you will get The Look. The What-on-earth-are-you-thinking-trying-to-change-a-$100-AR-note Look. And the monedas. Don’t even get me started.

No one has coins in Buenos Aires. Or, at least they want you to think that. Every single time I go out to buy something, there is a little back-and-forth played out:

Cashier: $13.25

Me: Tengo $15.

Cashier: 75 centavos tendrás?

Me: No, no tengo monedas.

Cashier: 25 centavos tendrás?

Me: No, no tengo monedas.

Cashier: Mmm, dos pesos?

Grr. I am currently holding up the line, pretending to rummage through my wallet. It’s pretty embarrassing, but if I am really strong, I will hold out. And I am, so I do.

Me: No, no tengo nada.

Cashier: (Eyeroll. She then proceeds to open her cash drawer full of monedas.)

That’s sort of what one finds here in Buenos Aires, and Jimena is very smart to teach David about this early on. It’ll save him tons of trouble when going to a kiosko or panaderia, or trying to take a colectivo or taxi. That’s definitely the beauty of Bueno, entonces... It’s teaching me tricks that I would have killed to know when I first got here.

You don’t learn this stuff in Rosetta Stone, that’s for damn sure.

Who Am I and What Am I Doing?

(Me, looking extremely sure of myself.)


I ask myself that question every single day. And, let me tell you, the answer changes just as often as the question is asked.

Today, I am a US American living in Buenos Aires. Six months ago I was an Oregonian living in New York City. Two years ago I was living in Canada. And Mexico. And Germany. And Brazil.

You get the drift, I'm a nomad. A bohemian. A transient individual. To be honest, it's exhausting. New jobs, new apartments, new roommates, new language, new currency. You think one would get used to this, but I swear I'm just as frazzled as I was the first time I moved. This is why I've decided to settle for awhile...and, I feel I picked the right place to dig in.

Buenos Aires has got to be the coolest place I've ever been. It's the perfect mix of Latin flava and Euro sophistication. If London, Rio, and Paris were to spend a wild evening together, I feel that BsAs would be the resulting lovechild. And, it's cheap.

Apparently not cheap enough, though. I am working a job that pays JUST enough to scoot by, and because I am waiting on my papers w/ migraciones in order to get a job in an Argentine company, I am hesitant to get another full-time expat job. So, I needed something part-time. Something random. And of course, I did what any other smart-minded individual would do: I looked on Craigslist.

And, boy, did I find a schweet gig...and, even better, I got it!

So, what is this part-time, wonderous, fantabulous job, you ask? Well, its not really a job, to be honest. It's learning Spanish! Or, learning it over again. You see, I have just been given what is possibly the most rockin' gig in the world--take a Spanish course for free (that I love already) and get paid to blog about it! Mmmhmmm, lookin' forward to it!

I've take about 234902342 language courses in my lifetime...okay, maybe only 11 or 12, but who's counting? :

1) Spanish at Westview High School in Oregon.
2) Portuguese at Yazigi in Espirito Santo, Brazil.
3) Private Spanish lessons in Mexico.
4) Private German lessons in Mexico (yeah, I know, that was an interesting one).
5) German at Philipps Universitaat in Germany.
6) Spanish and German at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Canada.
7) German with Rosetta Stone.
8) Spanish at the Universidad de Belgrano.
9) Spanish at a language institute called VOS in Buenos Aires.
10) Spanish at IBL in Buenos Aires.
11) Spanish at Portland State University in Oregon.

I'm sort of a language learning addict. In addition to learning at this various places, I also taught English in Mexico, Spanish in Oregon, and currently I am in the process of getting my TEFL certification. Language learning is my thing, and trust me, I know my shit. Or I like to think that I do.

Which is why I am stoked to see how this new program is. It's called Bueno, entonces... and so far, I'm loving it. I'm already pretty fluent in Spanish, but I love love love watching the episodes. Honestly, it's super fun.

I think it's pretty ballsy for Bueno, entonces... to have me do this. They were great in letting me know that wherever I take this blog is totally up to me, and they didn't tell me anything specific to say. Basically, I am not being paid to talk them up; I am being paid to take the course and let the world know that I think. So...brace yo'selves.